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“I did both my undergraduate and masters at Leeds and I had a brilliant time and a brilliant supervisor so I wanted to keep working with him. It was a very supportive community and there were a lot of social and academic events intermixed.”

Joining our academic community

As a postgraduate student here you have the chance to work in one of the largest departments of history in the UK and a leading centre for historical research. The 2014 Research Assessment Exercise judged 85 per cent of our research as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent', and a recent survey placed us among the top fifty History departments in the world.

We have particular strengths in Medieval, European, Modern British, International, and Wider World history (especially the history of Africa, the Caribbean, East and South Asia, the Middle East, and the United States of America).

You will have the chance to flourish within the supportive environment of a research-led university and the Faculty of Arts Graduate School. We sustain a vigorous research culture with regular seminars given by invited academics, staff and current research students which will expose you to the latest historical research.

As a postgraduate student you will be joining a vibrant community of over 50 taught postgraduates and 80 research students. There are many opportunities for getting involved in the wider life of the School, whether it be mentoring undergraduate dissertation students, teaching, attending student-led seminars, or simply socialising with other postgraduates.

Postdoctoral fellowship applications

We are keen to support well-conceived postdoctoral fellowship projects, and Early Career Fellowships. If you wish to apply for these via the School of History, please be aware that you should prepare the application well in advance and inform the School during this process. This might mean preparing an application in anticipation of the call by the British Academy, Leverhulme etc. The Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships favour candidates who show evidence of 'mobility' between institutions.